Entering this bustling music scene is Wilmington-based rockers Loose Jets, a band with deep, local roots that's been playing together for more than a year but just recently began performing live. Loose Jets, which plays the Whiskey on Thursday, June 27, boasts the talents of James Sardone on guitar and vocals; Addie Wuensch on vocals; Kent Hobson on bass; Chad Heye on guitar; Chuck Spry on drums; and, every now and then, when he can make it to a gig from his home in Florence, S.C., Justin Bank on keyboards.

Sardone has been a longtime presence on the Wilmington scene, first appearing in the late '80s with the post-punk group Brickbat and founding '90s rockabilly act The Burnley Bros., in which he played alongside longtime pal Heye, a member of veteran Wilmington punk rockers The Needles. The two remained friends even as Sardone made a decade-and-a-half-long pilgrimage to New York, where he strayed from his punk rock roots and focused on playing music with more of a country twang. His move back to the Port City a couple of years ago found him itching to get back into his rock ‘n' roll groove, however, and he knew he would find a musical cohort in his old friend Heye.

"I called Chad, and it was like, ‘Let's get that glory again! No more country! Let's rock!'," Sardone said. "That was the premise – get the top (music) minds in town in a rock band."

Enter Hobson, a bassist who has recorded and toured with the likes of rock and country singer/songwriter Mike Corrado. Original drummer Devin McGee eventually gave way to Spry, but it was McGee who introduced the band to the vocal and songwriting talents of Wuensch.

"With (Addie) on board, it worked right off the bat," Sardone said. "It took a good year before we had everyone we needed in the band and we were doing originals, but it's a great combination, and we all work off of each other so well."

At its most basic, Loose Jets plays gritty rock ‘n' roll intertwined with elements of pop and funk.

"We have a few light-handed rules," Sardone added. "Well, one really. It has to rock. It can be funky and have some pop sensibilities, but when all is said and done, it has to rock."

That protocol is evident on tracks like "Death Of Your Planet" from the band's self-titled EP available on iTunes, Amazon.com and Spotify. The guitar riffs are heavy, solid and succinct, the bass chords tangible. Wuensch's vocals are smooth and pretty, but contain raw power and emotion.

Perhaps what's most interesting about one of Wilmington's newest bands to step onto the scene is that the group has more than a year of practice under its belt, and the EP was recorded before Loose Jets ever played a gig.